[dmode66]

Okay, need some advice, opinions and experience…
Drove with G-class last 15 years and now looking for new ride. Decided that i need W212Tourer(E250 Diesel). Is there any common faults on 4Matic E250?
Have herd some rumours that W212 4Matic is not good and fails too often

Any comments?

 

[Kajtek1]

You have a choice, we poor people in America don't
No E250cdi to start with, the E250 Bluetec has no spare tire, becouse of urea tank and we can only dream about diesel 4M.
I had gasoline 4M in the past and even living in California I did not have snow or ice, it come handy on steep hills, going over the curb on dirt road and such.
The about every 10 years CV joints maintenance (boot) is not such bad and fuel consumption difference was marginal.
That said the traction control on RWD is excelent in last years and lot of members from icy states report that driving RWD they a passing stuck on the grades Jeeps.
Unless you really go into bad roads, I would focus more on finding nice car, not on number of driven wheels.

 

[Nyyyce&Eeeezy]

For the majority of drivers/owners, the choice of RWD or 4Matic hinges on the climate where the car will be driven.

Living in the NE of the US, there are 4WD/AWD cars and trucks of all brands everywhere because of the snowy winters. Although it doesn't address your question on reliability, I take a slightly different stance on choosing the wheels that do the driving, and my position echos some of Kajtek1's comments.

I've been driving for over half a century, grew up with only RWD, and prefer that type of handling to either FWD or alternatives like 4Matic.

When I decided to get my 212, I went to 5 local (within 100 miles) dealers looking for a NON-4Matic. Each dealer told me I would have to order a car because their 212 inventories, and inventories throughout the NE, were all 4Matic due to the preference of perspective owners.

My solution was to search the internet for a RWD 212 that also had all the other goodies that I wanted. I found exactly what I wanted in North Carolina, flew down there to buy it, and drove it home. That's what I think of 4Matic, but I understand it doesn't really help with your question about reliability.

So I guess the real question you should be asking yourself is whether you really need or would prefer a 4Matic for some reason. Good luck.

 

[*zepman]

living in southern California i had my choice of 4 matic vs rwd... while my mother in New York has a 4 matic and loves it!
I opted for the RWD, yes occasionally the tires spin, but i'm ok with that.

 

[radunegru]

Nice question, I was expecting more opinions on that. I had only RWD MB except the E500 Wagon 4matic because RWD wasn't available. Al traction control RWD models I had were perfect to me. I do not justify 1-2 days a year with snow .
Form me no 4 matic